


Snowfall

by FandomLastsForever



Series: Martial Arcs Week [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 08:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12164775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/pseuds/FandomLastsForever
Summary: When the New Moon comes by every month, Jaune has Ren lock him away for safety reasons. However, one night, Ren let's Jaune out of the cage. What begins as a desperate search ends in the acquaintance of new friends.





	Snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> Day 5 of Martial Arcs Week: AU. I kind of went with a sort of Werewolf type AU for this.

**_"Jaune! Jaune, love, where are you?!"_ **

He knew he shouldn't be yelling. He knew better than to be shouting in the middle of the night. But there was no other way Ren would be able to find him. And the forest was far too vast to search through quickly and quietly, especially since the snow was falling faster now.

_I'm such an idiot,_ he thought. _I should know better! Why did I unchain him? Why did I let him out of the cage?!_

He knew why he did. The pitiful look in Jaune's eyes when Ren came in to check on him was unbearable. There was no way Ren could keep him locked up for so long. He couldn't keep him locked away.

And now Jaune was lost in the woods, possibly at the mercy of whoever might be hunting in this area in the dead of night. They always came out in full force on the night of the New Moon. Understandable though, seeing how dangerous Grimm were. There was always going to be a need for them in the world, as long as there were beings like Jaune.

Quietly, Ren wished he could do the day over just so that he didn't make the mistake of letting him go again.

Pulling his coat closer to his body, Ren noticed some unusual claw marks on a nearby tree. Three claws, much like that of the Ursai you'd see in the storybooks. He realized he was on the right track and began to follow the trail of broken twigs. The initial fear and guilt that had been eating away at him had lessened.

_"_ Jaune!"Ren called. "Jaune, where are you?! Let's go home! Jaune!"

There was the sound of a growl coming from up ahead, and it wasn't until he found his chest tightening that he realized that the tree line had thinned and he was climbing up a hill. The snow seemed to have stopped falling, leaving a thick blanket covering the ground in white. The world seemed to have a dark mauve tint to it from the clouds above.

In the snow in front of him stood a giant bear, with black fur and white, bone like armor pieces. Above its mask like face was a small tuft of blond hair, and instead of the vile red that plagued most beasts, this creature's eyes glowed blue.

In front of the bear stood someone in a navy hood carrying a silver pistol.

Instinctively Ren ran forward, pulling out the pair of pistols he kept on his hips at all times. He stood between the hooded figure and the bear, taking aim and narrowing his pink eyes at them. The bear gently nudged Ren's back, letting out a soft whine.

**_"Leave him alone!"_ ** Ren bellowed. "Put the gun away right now or I'll-"

The sound of a shriek broke above them and Ren looked up to see the glowing red eyes of a large bird flying toward him, beak open and talons poised to kill. The bear leapt up and managed to pin Ren to the ground in time to take the attack. Ren dropped his guns, hugging the bear tightly.

**_"Jaune!"_ **

The bear screamed as the bird attempted to lift him into the air.

"Qrow!" the hooded figure spat. "Leave them be! Get back here right now you dumb bird!"

Ren felt the bear relax and watched as the bird flew over to the hooded figure. The bear backed away a bit to allow Ren to stand and grab his guns. The two watched as the hooded figure lowered their hood, revealing hard blue eyes and slick black hair. There was a glint of something metal over their right brow.

"Who are you?" Ren demanded.

"James," the figure greeted. "I'm James Ironwood. And this-" He patted the feathers of the bird softly "-is Qrow Branwen." The bird nodded to them before lightly nudging James. "Who are you?"

"Lie Ren." He gently ran his fingers through the blond tuft of hair on the bear's head, smiling fondly. "This is Jaune Arc. He's harmless, I promise."

"Qrow is too, most of the time." James slowly approached, putting his gun away and removing the hood from around his neck, placing it on top of Jaune. "Come on. My cabin isn't too far from here. It's best we get out of the cold before the Nucklavee shows up."

Ren felt his legs about to give at the mere mention of that name, but managed to stay composed long enough to follow James. Jaune sauntered behind him, keeping a suspicious glare trained on Qrow, warning the beast not to come closer as it hopped near him.

"So," Ren sighed. "Nevermore, huh?"

"Yeah," James muttered. "A bit of a shock when I first found out." He glanced over at Jaune, brow pinched in worry. "Has he always been an Ursa?"

"No...This is still relatively new."

"Do you have a cage or something for him?"

"Yeah, we do. But I...kind of let him out."

James let out a throaty chuckle. "Let me guess. Wide eyes, gentle nuzzles, and a pitiful whine, and you ended up taking pity on him and opened the gate?"

Ren smiled, feeling himself begin to relax. "Yes. That's it exactly."

"Sometimes it's best not to have them locked up. Keeps them calmer that way."

Ren nodded in agreement and the rest of the hike was made in silence. Qrow took flight, occasionally pretending to try and pick James up to carry him, only to get a playful "stop that" from the man.

It was rather adorable, he had to admit.

_I wonder how long these two have been at this. It must have been a while if they have a cabin this far away from the city._

The snow had begun to fall yet again as they came upon the cabin. Or rather, a house with a cabin aesthetic. The place looked a bit too big for just one person to be dwelling there. There was smoke coming from a chimney, lights in the windows, and what appeared to be a rather large shed adjacent to the main dwelling.

"Is it just you here?" Ren asked hesitantly.

"No," James admitted. "It's me, Qrow, our boyfriend Tai, and Tai's Imzadi, Ozpin. We try to come out here once a month for a week with Qrow. Sometimes it's just me, sometimes it's just Tai or Ozpin. Sometimes it's a combination of all of us."

"But always Qrow?"

"Always Qrow."

Ren nodded at the adjacent building. "Is that where they can stay? If the weather is too bad?"

James smiled. "Smart kid. You're quick on the uptake." He went and opened the door to the shed, revealing large beds for the creatures as well as a ladder that lead to a loft out of reach. Jaune hesitantly followed Qrow inside, giving Ren a gentle lick before being closed in.

"Are they going to be alright in there?"

"They'll be fine," James assured. "Qrow's probably going to make sure he's comfortable. Come on, let's get you inside before the cold gets worse."

Ren followed James inside the main house, nearly falling over as he jumped out of the way of a tall, broad blond running right toward James.

"Thank goodness you're back!" he yelped, wrapping his arms around James' neck. "I was so scared you'd gotten lost in the snow! You know we're expecting a-"

"Blizzard," James chuckled, kissing his cheek. "I know Tai. I'm sorry. I'm okay though, really. All of us are."

"All?" Tai looked around, his bright blue eyes resting on Ren. "Oh, hello."

"Hello," Ren snickered, noticing Tai still clung to James. "I'm Lie Ren."

"Taiyang Xiao Long," Tai greeted, slowly hesitantly releasing his partner from the death hug. "What're you doing out this far, kid?"

"Probably the same reason we are."

All three of them turned toward the doorway that Ren assumed lead to the kitchen, watching as someone with a cane limped in while carrying a tray of mugs and a coffee pot. James hurried to help, taking the tray and setting it on the table, while Tai took the coat and boots from them and hung them in the closet.

"Ozpin, this is Lie Ren," James introduced. "His friend-"

"Fiancé," Ren corrected.

"-is in the shack with Qrow right now."

"Oh, splendid," Ozpin hummed, hazel brown eyes focused on the fire. "Beowolf?"

"Ursa," Ren said, slowly taking a seat when offered. "It's still a new thing. We're trying to adjust."

"I see." Ozpin leaned forward, picking up the pot and pouring Ren a mug of hot chocolate. "What's your fiancé's name?"

"Jaune. His name is Jaune."

"A lovely name..." They continued serving cocoa, smiling as Tai curled up beside them with a stack of blankets. "So he just started his transformations, and rather than getting scared away, you stuck by him."

"Why wouldn't I? I love him."

"Jaune's a lucky man," James mused. "Most people either break it off with a person like Qrow, or the person that changes into a Grimm leaves on their own volition."

"Do you live nearby?" Tai asked, handing him a light pink blanket.

"In a house on the border between Vale and the Emerald Forest," Ren explained. "Close enough to town to get what we need, but far enough away so that people won't come near when the New Moon rolls around."

"If you have any questions about this," Oz offered, "feel free to peruse our books or ask us anything you'd like to know. We've been at this for nearly twenty years ourselves."

"That's an awfully long time..."

"Qrow isn't the only one," Tai mumbled, hiding under a golden blanket. "My daughter Yang and her mother...Qrow's sister, Raven...They change too."

Ren nodded, pulling his knees close. "Would it be alright if we stay here for a few days? When Jaune gets up in the morning...he's going to want to ask a lot of questions. Could...could you possibly train us on how to handle...whatever this is?"

Ozpin's eyes gleamed softly from behind their dark glasses, looking between Tai and James, who nodded in agreement. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you."

The four of them stayed up for an hour more to talk before Taiyang escorted Ren to a guest room. He pulled out a spare green nightgown from the closet, blushing as he handed it to him.

"Hope you don't mind," Tai stammered. "James' and my pajamas are too big, and Qrow only has one set in the shack."

"This is fine," Ren assured. "Thank you."

"No problem." Taiyang turned to leave the room, pausing in the doorway for a moment. "I...can't promise that it'll be easy, for either of you. But...it does get better..."

And with that, Tai left the room.

Ren quickly changed into the nightgown, flopping backwards onto the bed and glancing out toward the window. The winds and snow were slowly increasing.

"Goodnight Jaune," he whispered. "I'll see you in the morning."

 

* * *

 

 

**_"Hey kid. Oi! Wakey wakey!"_ **

Jaune felt as if his entire body was on fire. His muscles ached, his head throbbed, and he couldn't focus. He tried to sit up, only to get a horrid case of whiplash.

"Easy there, kid," soothed a gruff voice. "You had quite a night. Just take it easy. I'll get you something to wear."

_Something to wear?_ Jaune looked down, only now noticing he was covered only by a blanket and hood. The bed he was laying on was surprisingly soft. He didn't know why, but he felt safe there.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"You're near the mountain's just outside of Vale," answered the voice. "You and your honeycake kind of snuck up on Jimbo while I was stretching my wings. You're in my house."

Looking around, Jaune took in all the details of his surroundings. There was two, maybe three large beds big enough for a fully grown Ursa, and a ladder that lead to a loft. There were no windows, and only one exit. A giant door.

"Here," said the voice as a pair of sweatpants and a Pumpkin Pete's sweater landed on the floor, along with unopened packs of socks and underwear. "Get dressed. I think there's a spare pair of boots inside the main house. Let's go eat."

Jaune nodded, too tired to argue as the source of the voice, a man with feathery black hair in deep red silk pajamas. He didn't take long to cover himself, and didn't argue when the man pulled one of Jaune's arm's over his shoulders to help him walk. Jaune smiled softly, remembering Ren doing the same thing a few months prior.

"I need to go home," Jaune yawned. "Ren's gonna be worried if I don't get back."

"He's inside already," said his helper. "By the way, name's Qrow. Sorry for uh, last night."

"Last night..." Jaune closed his eyes as his feet hit the snow, trying to remember what had happened. The harsh wind pricked at his skin and the flakes began to plaster his hair.

_That's right. Ren was there in the snow. There was a Hunter and...Qrow...the Nevermore..._

"It's okay," Jaune mumbled. "We're cool."

"Good," Qrow sighed. He knocked on the door before coming in, setting the tired blond on the sofa before calling out for someone named Taiyang. Jaune closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the fire as the sounds of many feet passing filled the air. The smell of eggs and bacon filled his senses, along with the strong aroma of fresh coffee.

_"Good morning, Jaune."_

Jaune opened one eye, smiling and wrapping an arm around Ren as he curled up beside him with a blanket. "Mornin' Ren. Nice PJs."

"Thanks," Ren chuckled. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," he sighed. "Can we go home now?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. Too much snow. It's a bit of a blizzard." Ren gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, drawing a content hum from him. "In the meantime, Oz and the others are going to help us. They have information about your...condition."

Jaune pulled him close, nuzzling his face into Ren's hair fondly. "Sounds good...but for now, I need a bit more sleep..."

"You can rest a bit here, love. We're safe here."

Jaune nodded, and closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion pull him under as Ren sang him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> So I left this one _REALLY_ open ended in case anyone wanted to take over from here. I don't think I'll be expanding on this one anytime soon. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
